//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: The other side of Ponyville 
// by February Write Off 
//------------------------------//

     The CMC were at a loss, the whole day had passed them by and they hadn’t come up with a single cutie mark idea. “Ugh, we’re never gonna get our cutie marks this way!” Sweetie Belle whined. “Well all ah know is we need ta get out a this darn tree house, it’s dirvin me batty” Applebloom remarked. The CMC wandered outside of their tree house, it was already late in the afternoon and they would all need to go home soon. “This sucks, why is there nothing to do around here!” Scootaloo was right, Ponyville had been very boring recently, no friendship problems, catastrophes, or monsters of any kind for quite sometime. “I know!” Sweetie exclaimed. “Sweetie, what did we tell y’all about screaming like that?” Applebloom noted. “Yeah, ugh now my ears are ringing.” Scootaloo complained. “I’m sorry, but i figured out what we can do.” Sweetie said, still excited. “Well what is it Sweetie? It’s gettin kinda late don’t ya think?” Applebloom asked. Sweetie wandered over to a shadowy area under a tree and dimly lit her horn. “Have you guys ever wondered…” pause for dramatic effect “what is on the other side of Ponyville?” Sweetie said in a low voice. “You mean the Everfree forest?” Scootaloo added. “Ugh no, not that side the other side.” Sweetie retorted. “So the road towards Hoofington.” Applebloom said almost sarcastically. ” Yeah that way, do you know what’s over there?” Sweetie said lowering her voice again. “Well no, we’ve never been to Hoofington before.” Scootaloo responded. “Well I’ll tell you, Old mare Redwig’s place is over there.” Sweetie said trying to make it sound scary, but doing a very poor job given her airy voice. “I heard about her, Granny Smith told me she was the unicorn who helped found Ponyville, but she said that ol’ mare was into some sort of dark magic and disappeared in her house somewhere.” Applebloom said. “Yeah and that same house is at the end of Ponyville and some ponies say she haunts that house to this very day, oooooooo.” Sweetie said in a spooky voice. “I don’t know you guys we should probably be getting home.” Scootaloo stated. “What’s wrong Scoot are ya ch…” Applebloom was cut short, a light orange hoof shoved in her mouth. “No, no I am not lets do this thing!” Scootaloo said trying to sound brave. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS GHOST HUNTERS!” They all shouted as they headed towards the house at on the other side of Ponyville. They approached the house, it was large and dark and most assuredly, haunted. The CMC entered the house there was nothing inside, it seemed to be just a normal empty house, until… *smash* “What in tarnation?!?” Applebloom said having been extremely startled. “I think it came from the other room, come on lets check it out.” Sweetie said curiously. When they entered the other room which appeared to be a sort of study, they saw a window that had been shattered and the wind form outside had began blowing the curtains around in a creepy manner. “Ugh this is boring we should get out of here.” Scoot said leaning on a statue that tilted over revealing a secret passageway. The passageway appeared to lead down into a basement, but this basement was different then anything they could have expected. There were pentagrams and ancient dialects all over the floor and walls as well as ancient books riddled across the room. “Wow, what do you guys think this could be?” Sweetie asked. “Maybe she was a witch.” Scoot decided. The room was strangely lit, hen suddenly *creak* *slam* The passageway door was slammed behind them. “AAAAGHHHH!!!” The CMC screamed in terror. Everything went dark. “Hello girls” a glowing figure appeared and said. “AAAAGHHHH!!!” The three girls screamed yet again. “Wh-who are you?” Sweetie asked. “I’m Redwig, nice to meet you.” Redwig said in a friendly tone. “S-so you’re not going to destroy us?” Scoot asked. “No, of coarse not, why would I do that?” The ghostly mare asked. “Cuz y’all are a witchy ghost that’s why!” Applebloom shouted. “And sense when did witchy ghosts destroy ponies?” Redwig questioned. “Uhm well.” Applebloom said shyly. “Well we don’t, so what can I do for you three?” Redwig said welcoming them to her home and relighting the room with her magic. “Well we came here to bust ghosts but you seem pretty nice so we wont bust you.” Scoot said feigning coolness. “Well thanks, I appreciate it.” Redwig thanked the three crusaders. “But could you three help me with something?” Redwig quizzed. “Yeah what is it?” Sweetie said kindly. “Well you see before I died I summoned this demon and well one thing led to another and now I’m dead, so could you three maybe slay him for me?” The three fillies looked at each other excitedly. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS DEMON HUNTERS!!!!” The three shouted before running off again. They began tracking down the alleged demon as all good demon hunters do when the came upon the creatures domain. “Sweetie conjure some demon fighting weapons for us with your magic.” Scoot demanded. “And exactly how am I supposed to do tha…” Sweetie stopped noticing a book right outside the demon’s cove which was titled “How to conjure weapons that will destroy a demon.” After a quick read through Sweetie used her magic to create some demon slaying weapons. They snuck up to the demon who was snoozing in a corner. The three lifted their weapons and attacked the demon. The creature awoke and the weapons disappeared. “Wh-what happened?” Sweetie said, scared out of her hooves. “Did you use the book that said ‘How to conjure weapons that will destroy a demon’?” The now growing demon said looming over the three ponies. “Y-yes?” Sweetie stuttered. “Oh well those weapons actually power me up, good trick right?” The demon said smiling to himself. “That is a stupid trick how do we destroy you?” Scoot said angry and impatient. “Easy all you have to do is get me to say my name backwards.” The demon said slamming his face into his palm. “Why did y’all just tell us how to destroy you?” Applebloom asked the three of them in a state of shock. “It’s because I’m a truth demon, it is hard being a truth demon.” The demon said with a sad look on his face. “Yeah sounds like it well we are here to destroy you so, how do you say your name backwards?” Sweetie asked wanting to get this over with. “ugh, nomed hturt.” the demon said before bursting into flames and disappearing forever. “Alright!” the three said high hoofing. They turned to look at their flanks for a demon hunting cutie mark but nothing was to be found. “UGH! That Redwig has some explaining to do!” Scoot said with a scowl on her face. They returned to Redwig, who was excited to see them.”Did you guys do it?” “Yeah but where’s our cutie marks?!?” Scoot questioned aggressively. “Cutie mark, what is this the middle ages? You can’t get cutie marks from hunting demons anymore. Only Crystal ponies can, at least I think they’re the ones who take care of demons now a days.” Redwig explained. “What ugh we’re going home.” Sweetie said having grown tired of this cutie mark lacking day. “Yeah, see y’all later Redwig.” Applebloom said leaving behind Sweetie. “Celestia, today was so stupid.” Scoot remarked as they left the haunted house. The three returned to their respective homes and their day finally concluded, but what they didn’t realize was that they had helped a lonely ghost pass on that day and would awake to find something very exciting on their flanks the next morning. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS EXORCISTS!!! YAY!!!”